beetle candy // 11.07.09
I still regret not buying this and finding out what was inside the box. Beetle-shaped candy? Candy inspired by fighting beetles? Licorice? Fightin' licorice?!
Archive for the ‘b-sides’ Category
the freshest candidate // 11.06.09
Hey. It's been just over a year since President Obama got elected.
Timing for uploading the picture I took of an Obama air freshener that I found on my hard drive this afternoon: Not Bad!
what would buster keaton do? // 08.18.08
I've never been a major watcher of The Daily Show (Colbert's more my thing), but I liked this recent NY Times article on Jon Stewart – if only for the following paragraph:
Often a video clip or news event is so absurd that Mr. Stewart says nothing, simply rubs his eyes, does a Carsonesque double take or crinkles his face into an expression of dismay. “When in doubt, I can stare blankly,” he said. “The rubber face. There’s only so many ways you can stare incredulously at the camera and tilt an eyebrow, but that’s your old standby: What would Buster Keaton do?”
I'm a softy for silent comedian references.
who watches the watchmen? // 07.21.08
Pleasantly surprised to see the Watchmen trailer at the beginning of "The Dark Knight" this morning. (Chomie can't see "The Dark Knight" until next weekend, so that leaves me bereft of my usual film-discussing buddy. In case he reads this, I won't go into any detail, but – it is Good. And long. Bring a drink or snack with you into the theater.)
Alan Moore's Watchmen is one of the best comic series I've read, but I'm not going to fret like a fanboy over which parts get left out or overly modified in the film adaptation. It's not like this is going to be The Golden Compass, where the film version left out crucial segments of the original book just to appease the Catholic Church. Director Zack Snyder (of "300" fame) sounds like a guy who wants to do good by the original. It probably also helps that Watchmen's themes focus on broader social critiques, like the loss of idealism in public servants/celebrities (well, middle-aged superheroes), as opposed to the more blatant religious criticism of Pullman's novels.
Anyway, back to the trailer. The background music is a slower version/remix of the Smashing Pumpkins' "The End Is the Beginning Is the End," which was originally a song for the "Batman & Robin" soundtrack. An intentional connection between superhero movies, I guess? Or maybe just a way for nerds like me to think they're clever for recognizing the song. It does work pretty nicely with the trailer's scenes, though. Dr. Manhattan and Rorschach look spot-on. I'm a little sad that the film version of Nite Owl has lost his dorky maroon costume with the round goggles, but hey, the upgrade does look pretty cool. Looking forward to 2009!
jigong's stunna shades. // 06.11.08
When I wiki'd "Jigong" for one of my past entries, naturally one of the first links that came up was the Wikipedia page. On that Wikipedia page is a link to a statue of Jigong that supposedly boasts the world's largest pair of sunglasses. The sequential order of three of the photos, which I shall replicate here for educational purposes, struck me as an effective illustration of creepy zooming action.
Ahh!